Beyond Our Forever
by AlyssaJoyce
Summary: "I could love you, you know," He said, toying with a lock of her hair. "If you would let me, I would love you beyond any of this short forever given to us mortal men."
1. Prologue

**Hello all, this is my first Lord of the Rings fanfiction and my first fic in almost two years. I'm pretty excited about this one because it is going to be fun to write, but it is pretty much just going to be a tenth walker fic (I know, I know, shitty fic alert right there). I'm just testing out my writing right now and getting geared up for a class I'm taking next semester so bear with me, please. Most of the chapters will be longer than this one (I hope) and I will try to get into a regular update schedule.**

**Note on timeline and other various issues: This fic will be following movie events (with a few book events thrown in but those will be explained as we go) as it is easier to write based on that (i.e. I'm less likely to make mistakes). I'm not a Tolkien expert, though I have read the books, but please do not kill me if I make any lore mistakes, it's super hard to keep up with all of it. Even though I know Westron/common speech is not the same as English, I'm just going to write this as if it was because I am lazy. Also this is kind of set in Toronto, but I don't live there so please forgive any mistakes on that. If anyone knows a good Sindarin online dictionary, please tell me because I'm going to need one soon :) The other a/n will not be this long, I just had a lot to say, sorry. Now on to the story.**

* * *

**Prologue**

Mary-Lillian Littlerock was, in her own mind at least, a perfectly normal York University student that merely had a passion for the fantasy genre and penchant for dressing up as her favourite characters. Her mother on the other hand, believed her to be an eccentric Lord of the Rings fan (which she was) who spent too much time and money going to oddly named conventions when she should be studying (which she did). Her grandmother, a tiny Ojibway woman with a heavy backhand, thought that the time her youngest granddaughter had spent in the city had made her crazy and ruined any chance she ever had at getting married. Lilly, being every bit as stubborn as her grandmother, did not care about these opinions and went on being every bit as odd as she wanted to. Family gatherings, of course, became battle grounds.

However, beyond all doubt and reason of her family, it was because one of these oddly named conventions that Lilly's story, through coincidence, luck, and a fair bit of chance, began.

The public transit system of Toronto, though cleaner and more efficient than it had been in the past, was a source of high anxiety for Lilly even after moving to the city for university nearly a year ago. A small town girl, this bustling city dependent on buses and subways sill felt foreign to Lilly, whose home town was so tiny that seeing a taxi cab, let alone a city bus, was a rare occasion. The ebb and flow of the city, though calming to some, made Lilly feel like an outsider in the country she had been born in. The skyscrapers and the smokestacks only made her miss her home in the Canadian Shield, and her tiny dorm room made her miss her family, no matter how awful they could be.

Seated on one of the hard plastic benches on the subway station platform, Lilly waited anxiously for the train that would take her to the convention centre at the heart of the city. Her mother would disapprove of this venture, and that was the only thing her and her mother-in-law could agree upon; Lilly needed to stop this very odd form of self-expression.

Lilly clutched her overnight bag tightly and twirled a lock of hair between her fingers as she waited. The contents of her bag were of an incredibly precious variety and most definitely something her mother would hate. Folded carefully on top of her pyjamas and toiletries was the elven style dress she was going to wear at the convention. She smiled inwardly as she thought of the dress she had spent hours slaving over and prayed that nothing would happen to it during her busy day around the con or afterwards at the friend's house she was staying at.

A tightly wound bundle of nerves and pre-convention anxiety, Lilly jumped up like a jack-in-the-box at the arrival of her train and nearly sprinted aboard in her excitement. Even though it was bright and early on a Saturday morning, the train was crowded with all sorts of people-young, old, mothers with children, and even a few other convention goers already in full costume. The only two available seats on the train were beside a mother with a screaming toddler and an old man that looked like he had not showered in his life, so Lilly meekly stood near the doors, trying to make herself as small as possible.

One hand on the above head bar and the other on her bag, Lilly felt the slightest tickling of fatigue hit her; it most likely caused by her very early start to the day. The cause of her earlier than normal wake-up had partially been due to excitement, but was mostly caused by the long time it took to do her makeup and weave an intricate elven braid into her hair. Stifling a yawn, Lilly cursed the day she ever realized her nose was crooked; that little facial feature had taken a great deal of time and makeup to straighten out.

As the train drew closer and closer to its destination, Lilly grew more and more excited. She loved this feeling that took away every fight she had ever had with her parents and every mean name she has been called. In her excitement, she failed to notice any of the strange happenings aboard the train. Movement and any form of noise abandoned the train as it pulled up to the station. Lilly, perhaps by bewitchment or ignorance of her own choosing, did not see the cease of movement nor did she see that the dirty old man had somehow pulled out a large wooden walking-stick, as old and gnarled as himself, and was muttering to himself in a tongue long forgotten by this world.

Lilly rushed to cross the threshold of the door as it opened with a ding and a whoosh and when she tried to place her foot onto the platform she fell down, down, down into a dark deep abyss.

* * *

**And that's it! Hopefully will be able to write more for later chapters and will update soon. Please give me some constructive criticism, I need it to grow :)**


	2. Down the Rabbit Hole

**Hey so here is chapter two, I'm trying to get an updating schedule going which will probably look like one chapter every two or three days. These first two kind of escaped from me so I wrote them very quickly. I may go back and edit this one, but for now enjoy!**

***note! Gandalf and Aragorn are travelling back from Mirkwood where they left Gollum at this point. In my version of events, they go from Mirkwood, to Rivendell where they part ways and Gandalf goes to see Frodo about a ring.**

* * *

**Down the Rabbit Hole**

While falling is how Lilly would later describe her descent through that dark plane of existence, the word could never fully capture the odd rush of wind that was not quite wind that hit her as she traveled nor could it describe the feeling of control that she felt, when she had been quite obviously completely out of control. Lilly had fallen through the air before; from a tree at age seven, from the roof of her house at age ten and so many other times as was normal of someone who lived in a small town with nothing but stupid things to do.

This fall was more like flying through the air, but without any sense of control or direction. She could still feel the weight of her bag across her chest and the fluttering of her skirt as it twisted around her legs. _This must be like how the angels felt when they were cast out of heaven_. That single thought she had startled her as she'd never been that religious before. _Perhaps I am dead and this fall is my purgatory. _That still made little sense.

The roaring of sound in her ears threatened to drive her mad. Lilly attempted to twist and turn in the air, trying to find some direction in pitch black. Upon opening her eyes to see where she was falling, Lilly found she could not see and upon opening her mouth to scream she found her voice would make no sound.

_ Lilly. _A whisper that was not her own thought sounded through her head like bells in a cathedral; it surrounded her like thunder and passed by her quiet as a mouse and splintered her sanity and brought it back.

_ We have a task for you, our most precious traveler. _The sound screamed in her head and Lilly tried to claw at her ears to put out the flames she felt, but found she could not move her arms. _Lilly, Lilly, Lilly, you must change the path. We will tell you when and how. _Lilly tried to scream again, only to be shocked when she let out a piercing scream. She felt a rush of wind all around her like she had truly begun to fall.

Lilly hit the ground hard on her back, forcing the air out of her lungs. Struggling to breathe, Lilly opened her eyes to see what had happened to her. The only things she could make out were green leaves and blue skies. _Where in the hell am I? _Confused, dazed, and nursing a pounding headache, Lilly sat up as slowly as she could, wincing at the throbbing pain in her skull.

No stranger to forests, Lilly tried to place where in Toronto she could possibly be that had this much foliage. The forest, crowded and overrun with fallen leaves and branches looked like it had never come into contact with a human being.

"Hello?" No answer came to the tentative call. Assessing the state of her clothing and bag, Lilly tried to recall any detail of what happened after she stepped off the subway and came up with nothing. The gaping hole in her memory stirred memories of one too many Criminal Minds episodes and Lilly began to wonder if she had been kidnapped.

Slowly standing, Lilly brushed dirt and leaves from her skirt only to shudder from a cold wind that reached deep down into her bones. Even in Canada, this cold of weather was almost unheard of this late into summer. Looking for a sweater she was well aware was not there, Lilly rummaged through her bag knowing her only option for warmth would be to put on her dress.

Wind rustled the trees, but there was no sign of any other living creature in the woods. No city sounds of traffic and air planes, construction or even people could be heard. For the very first time in a long while Lilly had a funny feeling that she was very much alone.

With her dress slipped over her head, Lilly laced up the sides of the gown while as she tried to keep the bottom out of the mud and leaves. _I was supposed to have a good day today._ With no sign of civilization and no idea where she was, Lilly beginning to think that perhaps she was being pranked. Some of her more enthusiastic Lord of the Rings friends would sometimes "kidnap" each other and bring them to wooded areas to act out scenes from the books together, but this was beyond that.

The number one rule of getting lost in the woods (as any child who had grown up in a forested area knew) was that no matter what you had to stay where you are. Lilly herself had only gotten lost once before on a hunting trip with her dad and her oldest brothers. She had slipped away from them to chase after a rabbit. Twenty minutes and no rabbit later, her dad had found her sitting beside a tree, crying. But this was different, Lilly did not know where she was, who she came there with, and there was definitely no chance of her dad finding her.

Scoffing at her own stupidity, Lilly remembered she had her phone with her and quickly pulled it out from a pocket on her bag. The small black device, fully charged that morning and not used once since, would not even turn on. No amount of button pressing, shaking, or taking out the battery several times got any sort of response from it. Putting it away to prevent herself from throwing it into the woods, Lilly found her iPod and quickly found it was going to give her the exact same amount of response her phone had.

_ I could have sworn the batteries in these damn things were fully charged. _Seething, Lilly paced around the small cleared area she had fallen into. The trees were tall and very old, but Lilly could not imagine how she could have climbed one those trees if it was from one she had fallen. The lowest branches sturdy enough to hold her weight were nearly a foot out of her reach. Taking a deep breath that she tried very hard to turn into a scream of frustration, Lilly nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a voice in the distance. Grabbing her bag, Lilly picked up the ends of her dress to run in the direction of the sound.

The voice, it turned out, belong to an old man wrapped in grey robes wearing a large pointed hat. The man looked as if he had stepped out of a renaissance faire and Lilly was almost certain he was a part of the reason she had been lost in these woods. Just as she was about to call out to the man, a blade pressed to her throat and Lilly felt her heart drop to her knees.

"What is a traveler such as yourself doing along these paths?" The owner of the blade had a deep, raspy voice that set Lilly's nerves on edge. The old man made his way over to where the altercation was taking place. Lilly could feel the knife on her neck and could tell it had a sharp blade and the thought that some half-crazed larper was running around a wooded area threatening people made her furious.

"Jesus Christ, man! Are you trying to kill someone?" Lilly backed away from the knife's edge, only to bump into the man who was holding it. She held up her arms trying to get him to pull the knife away. "I just got_ lost_, I'm not a part your damn game!" The older man cocked a bushy eyebrow in her direction, presumably at the man who was standing behind her.

The knife dropped from her neck and the man moved away. He was swathed in dark clothing and had a hood pulled down over his eyes. _If I didn't know any better, _Lilly thought grimly passing her eyes over the pair of men, _I would swear these two walked straight out Lord of the Rings. _

"I do apologize, my dear. It's not often one sees other travelers upon this road." The old man had a distinctly English accent and a kind face covered with a thick beard the same shade of grey as his robes. "But if you do not mind me asking, how did you get here?" The 'ignorant of all things modern' act was slowly wearing down Lilly's patience.

"I think I hit my head," Lilly explained to the old man, avoiding meeting the eyes of the other younger man shrouded in darkness. "I can't remember anything after I got off the subway this morning except-," _except for falling through darkness. _"I mean, I just can't remember anything." Lilly shook her head, that fall had not been real she was sure.

"Subway?" The grey old man questioned causing Lilly's eyes to nearly roll back into her skull. "Look, I just need to get pointed in the right direction toward civilization and I'll be on my way." The two men looked at Lilly like she was insane. "Look, I know you guys can get really ingrained in your characters, but I really need help right now." They still made no move to point her in the right direction and continued staring at her.

"Where are you travelling from?" The younger man asked quietly, perplexed by all that had come from the mouth of the small women. "Oh, for fuck's sake!" Lilly had had enough of these two and turned on her heel back the way she came; getting eaten by a bear, in her opinion, would be more fun than this.

"My lady, wait!" The old man called hurrying after her. Suddenly, Lilly felt her body seize as if all her muscles had clenched at once. She could not move even to lift a finger and the old man quickly caught up to her. "I am quite sorry for this my lady, but you, I do believe, are not part of this world."

The minute she could move again, Lilly decided, she was going to punch this old man in the teeth.

The younger man bound her hands with a rope that chafed her wrists and looked as if it had been dragged through mud. "This is only a precaution," He told her in a low voice, nodding toward the rope and Lilly began to worry for her life. Finding she could move, Lilly dropped to the ground and sat on the small path that the two men had previously been walking on.

"You both are crazy, just where the hell do you think we are?" Lilly demanded of the old man who slowly knelt down to sit beside her. "We three, my dear, are all in Middle Earth," he said pulling a long wooden pipe from his robes. "Near Rivendell on the road towards the Hidden Valley to be exact." Lilly grew more concerned as the old man stuffed some odd-looking into his pipe and lit it with a flick of his finger.

"That's a nice thought, I guess," Lilly edged away from the man. "But seeing as that place doesn't exist, I'm going to we're somewhere near the Humber River."

The old man chuckled and began blowing smoke rings, a skill Lilly would not have guessed an old man to possess. As the rings began changing colour however, Lilly could only think of one book character that so perfectly matched this man's description.

"You're Gandalf." The statement startled Lilly even though she had been the one to make it. "Quite right," the old man replied as he tapped out his on the road. "I mean, you're pretending to be Gandalf, right?" Lilly corrected herself, the thought that she was in the presence of a wizard was absolutely crazy.

"Pretend?" The younger man stood in front of Lilly causing her to have to crane her neck to look at his face. "Just who are to question a wizard?"

"It is quite alright, Aragorn, my old friend." The old man rose slowly, heavily dependent on his walking stick. He offered a hand up to Lilly. "I do believe we are very close to Rivendell, where I may answer some of the questions our new friend may have." Lilly grudgingly accepted his hand up and with her hands still bound together, brightened at the thought of going back to civilization, even if she had to do so being led by crazy people.

* * *

** Kind of not pleased with how this turned out. Next chapter will be better.**


	3. Decisions, Decisions

**Hello this took a day longer than I wanted it to, but I'm more satisfied with this chapter than any of the others. ****Shout out to TheParanoidGraveRobber for being my only reviewer, you make me smile. **

**Further note on timeline: I fucked up a bit and completely forgot that there were nine years between Aragorn bring Gollum to Mirkwood and Gandalf going to the Shire. I'm just going to say that Gandalf and Aragorn were searching for clues together about the ring and the timeline kind of picks up in this chapter. Please review or pm me if you any questions on the timeline.**

* * *

**Decisions, Decisions**_  
_

_I have gone absolutely crazy, _was Lilly's first thought upon seeing the silhouette of Rivendell, the last Home House East of the Sea, tucked into a breathtaking valley. Even from that distance she could hear the laughing, singing, and carrying on of elves. Real elves, she would later see, with beauty and grace so great no mortal could ever dare to replicate. Lilly concluded as she stared at the great building, that she must either be dead and this was heaven. But, in reality, she thought that must have taken a long jump, leap, and bound away from her sanity.

"Do you believe yourself in Middle Earth now?" Gandalf inquired in the unmindful way of someone who lived a long time. He was enjoying another pipe as they walked and blew multi-coloured smoke rings.

"Either I have gone absolutely insane or something unbelievable has happened," Lilly answered, her gaze focused on Rivendell. Gandalf perceived the wide-eyed statement as a jest and chuckled softly around the pipe tucked into the corner of his mouth.

"Before we enter Rivendell," Gandalf said, stopping along the road to once again tap out his pipe. "It is imperative that I know who you are and where exactly you came from." He tucked his pipe back into his robes and turned toward Lilly. Grabbing her hands, he undid the ropes binding them together. "Anything at all you can recall before we found you would help us a great deal."

Lilly rubbed her wrists where the rope had chafed her skin raw and tried to smooth her tangled hair. "This…this is a _story!_ Where I come from this is an _old story_, written _years_ ago! It's just-" She ran her hands over her face, letting out an exasperated groan. "There is no conceivable way this could be happening."

"All old stories are rooted in truth." The younger man-Aragorn Lilly realized, responded. Lilly shook her head at the ranger who stroked his chin thoughtfully, "No, this isn't a _legend_ or something! It's a book made up by an old English man!" Lilly could see she was not achieving anything with the two men as they both stared at her as though deep in thought, but their eyes told a different story.

Lilly decided to take a different route. "This morning I was travelling in a city- a huge city mind you- and I stepped off the train and I fell…but there was a man…I think I remember an old man…" Lilly squeezed her eyes closed, she could remember seeing a lady with a stroller and three teenagers talking loudly about some band, and… _the old man sitting by the door!_ "There was an old man in blue sitting by the door, h-he had walking stick," Lilly gestured to Gandalf's gnarled wooden staff. "A wooden staff just like that." She chewed her lip in concentration, "He said things in a different language, I thought he was just a crazy homeless man."

While half of what the girl had said made no sense in the slightest to the old wizard (like many things these days did not), that bit of the story was quite intriguing.

"Did you know," He turned to Aragorn, while still focused on Lilly. "One of the two blues of my order has been missing for some several centuries." A look of confusion crossed the ranger's face. Gandalf turned to Lilly and continued. "He has been gone for so long, you know, I cannot seem to recall his name."

A far-away look appeared and disappeared just as quickly on the old wizard's face and it turned to a closed-eye concentration as Lilly continued to remember.

"I was falling…I think. And someone told me I had to change...something." Lilly shook her head, it felt as it her thoughts were swimming through thick syrup. She pressed her hands to her forehead, "I fell from…somewhere. I hit my head pretty hard, I can't remember anything beyond that."

Gandalf smiled warmly at her, "That's quite alright, but I feel we better continue this conversation with Lord Elrond." He looked toward Rivendell and thought that something very strange was happening.

_Lord Elrond does not look like Hugo Weaving_, was Lilly's first observation of the elf lord. He, in fact, did not look like any person Lilly had ever seen before. An aura of purity seemed to surround not only him, but every other elf she had come into contact with in the moments she had been in Rivendell. These elves were not some beautiful, immortal humans with pointed ears; they possessed an ethereal grace and made everywhere they went seem just as otherworldly. Lilly, unused to the pure radiant perfection of elves, had trouble focusing on the conversation Gandalf was having with Lord Elrond.

Blinking hard and breathing deeply, Lilly tried to calm her over worked senses. She had not realized in her faraway state of mind that Elrond had broken off from his conversation with Gandalf to ask her a question. Red from her ears to her toes, she very quietly asked him to repeat his question only to turn a darker shade of red when she realized he had only asked for her name.

"Mary-Lillian Littlerock, but Lilly for short." She made her reply out of habit from years of school attendance and introducing herself. Elrond barely acknowledged her answer as he fully took in her mental disarray. "Perhaps," he suggested. "We should continue this conversation tomorrow." Lilly's pounding headache agreed with him.

Lord Elrond had another elf, an auburn haired woman with a soulful face, to escort Lilly to a room. Before she followed the woman, Aragorn passed Lilly's bag to the elven woman. Lilly clogged mind could not recall seeing him carry the sand coloured duffle bag, but then she could not remember putting it down in the first place.

The open air halls and dream like atmosphere of Rivendell lulled Lilly into sleep long before she even reached the room and with her eyes half-closed she only heard a word here and there of what the elf leading her was saying. Entering an open air room, Lilly had eyes only for the lush, white sheeted bed by the largest of the windows in the room. When the woman realised Lilly was not listening to a word she said, she left leaving Lilly to crawl into the bed, muddy dress and all, and fall deeply asleep willing herself to wake up back in her own world.

Curled under soft blankets in a bed warmed by the sun, Lilly could almost believe that when she opened her eyes she would be in her childhood bedroom and everything had been a very odd dream. She would go downstairs and tell her brothers about it during breakfast, then her dad would drive her back into the city. This is not what happened, however.

Just by the feeling of the cool breeze on her face and the lack of talking, shouting, or swearing, Lilly knew she was not at home nor back in her dorm. The bright sunlight made her blink hard and she felt dirty from sleeping in her clothes. Looking about the room with her eyes as she sat up and stretched, Lilly could see more detail in the room than she had the night before.

The furniture was all wood carved into exquisite shapes, organic yet sophisticated like the elves. White and light pastels seemed to be the uniform colour scheme of Rivendell, though it was more ethereal than bland.

Just as she had thrown the covers back and stood, an elf she recognised as the woman from the night before entered with stone pitcher and gauzy blue fabric draped over her forearm.

"Lord Elrond has instructed me to help you dress for the day, my lady. My name is Rirosseth." She glided around the room, stopping first to deposit the pitcher on what Lilly assumed was a wash stand then unfolded the fabric to reveal a dress in a draped style similar to the pale purple one she wore.

With a well-hid look of distaste at the state of Lilly's own homemade dress she continued, "This is one of Lady Arwen's older dresses, if it please my lady." Overwhelmed, Lilly mumbled out a response and the elf continued. "While you wash, I shall bring something to break your fast, then I shall take your own…clothing to be washed." The pause was not lost on Lilly as she could feel how ridiculous she looked.

"Yes, erm…thank you." Rirosseth smiled gently and Lilly had never felt more out of place than in this place of delicate beauty and other worldly grace. She excused herself and left Lilly alone to wash.

Washing in an open air room that seemed as if anyone at all could walk by was not something Lilly intent on doing. However, upon inspecting the small white washstand she found there was small area tucked into the corner of the wall that protected her from view.

Bathing standing up from tepid water in a bowl with a wash rag was something Lilly was fairly used to being an avid hunter. Thankful that she had washed her hair the day before, Lilly wiped away the grime that had accumulated during her trek through the woods.

Lilly did not want to think of the dirt she must have left in the pristine white sheets she had slept in the night before. She searched through her bag for her tooth brush and grabbed the underwear she had packed. Another thought that worried her was what she was going to be wearing for her stay there, which led to the thought of just _how_ long she would be there.

_Why am I here?_ Lilly did the rest of her washing up in a state of worry. _What if I get turned out of Rivendell…if this place truly is Middle Earth…_

Just as she finished pulling the blue dress over her head and began attempting to arrange it properly, Rirosseth appeared with a tray laden with sweet smelling breakfast foods. "Just a moment, my lady," She called as set the try down on the small white table in the opposite corner of the room. "You have that on the wrong way."

Red-faced with embarrassment, Lilly accepted Rirosseth's help with turning her dress around and tying the laces on the back. "While you eat," She informed Lilly, tugging the laces tight. "I will bring your clothes to be washed, then I shall return and take you to Lord Elrond's study." Lilly thanked her for her help and made a beeline for the table and chair.

Having just recalled the fact she had not eaten since breakfast of the day before, Lilly used all her willpower to not stuff her face with sweet rolls, eggs, and what she was fairly certain to be wine upon tasting it.

"If you do not mind my inquiry, my lady," Rirosseth said as she curiously examined the yoga pants and cotton shirt Lilly had been wearing under her dress. "Where are you travelling from?"

Lilly slowing put down the rolls she had been eating and tried to think of an answer that would not shock the woman. "Another world it seems like sometimes." Lilly answered, not wanting to elaborate. Nausea swept over her. "You know, I-I'm actually not that hungry…Please, take me to see Lord Elrond."

A look of concern passed over Rirosseth's face, but she said nothing only motioned for Lilly to follow her.

Rivendell was gorgeous by night, but absolutely breathtaking by day. The waterfalls and walkways, the open air housing made this house seem so very opposite of the homely house it claimed to be. Lord Elrond's study was down a ways from the room in which Lilly had slept and was filled with shelves of books. The lack of glass windows or wooden doors made Lilly very concerned for when it rained.

Gandalf was already seated with Elrond and the two were engrossed in a conversation. Rirosseth announced Lilly's arrival to the pair.

They both stood to welcome her and Gandalf gestured her to sit with them. "We have much to discuss," Gandalf look toward Lilly. "It would be prudent that you tell Lord Elrond everything which you have told me."

Lilly nodded in agreement and recalled her arrival in Middle Earth to Elrond who sat straight in his chair and focussed thoughtfully on her words.

"In my world there are stories- books to be exact- that detail events that have happened here, but…" Lilly paused unsure if she should be telling the inhabitants of this world about their futures. "The main part of it…I don't think it has happened yet…I mean I'm almost certain that they haven't." She chewed on her lip and wondered how much farther into detail she should go. "A great war is going to happen soon…and many people will die, _if_ what the story says is true."

Gandalf nodded thoughtfully. "For nearly sixty years I have suspected something great and terrible to be building. It seems I have greater need than I had thought to finish my journey."

"Mithrandir, if what she says is true, then it is imperative we find out what is to happen." Elrond gave a knowing look to Gandalf. "This peace has been kept for nearly two thousand years; it would be in the best interest of the people of Middle Earth if it is kept."

Gandalf _hmmmed_, and shifted in his chair. "Perhaps….though perhaps not. Things have been set into motion for longer than we thought, I do not believe this will be so easily undone."

"You cannot be so certain." Elrond placed a hand over his face. "We cannot needlessly throw away lives; another war must be avoided at all cost."

Sensing the rising tension, Lilly squirmed in her chair like a child listening to arguing parents.

Gandalf disagreed, "This war will happen no matter what we do to prevent it; that is something I am certain of. The question is whether we hide in shadows trying to change the unchangeable or we meet the enemy head on."

Elrond considered Gandalf's point. "Whether or not a war with the enemy will happen is yet to be seen." He looked toward Lilly, "Why would we be sent someone who has the potential to stop a war if that potential was never meant to be used?"

Lilly shifted again and could feel a tickle at the base of her skull. She concentrated on the feeling and remembered the voice from her fall. _Change the path…that's what someone said to me. _But what path was that? As far as Lilly knew there would be many players to this game, many paths to change. _ We will tell you when and how._

Upon remembering those words Lilly felt the tickle turn into a spike of pain. She winced and felt the words thunder in her ears, '_This path must not change.' _The pain ceased with the command and Lilly looked toward Gandalf for explanation.

He and Elrond both were ignorant to Lilly's pain, the two remained engrossed in their debate. Gandalf was responding to something Lilly had not heard Elrond say. "I do not trust that we will be able to change." "I don't think this is what I am supposed to change." Gandalf blinked in surprise when Lilly interrupted his argument.

"At least…I mean, this is not a story in which everyone dies and evil wins and all that kind of stuff. Sure it has some death, but…there is a happy ending." Lilly twisted her hands in her lap, regretting she had ever spoken up. "I think…a lot of good things wouldn't happen without this war. Important things," She suddenly thought of Aragorn and how his crown would be won.

Gandalf smiled at her and nodded in agreement. "It would be prudent of me to finish first the task I had set out to do before arriving here." He stood and collected his hat and staff. "I must travel to the Shire to see an old friend, I will return as soon as I can." It took Lilly a moment to realise Gandalf meant to leave.

"Surely you do not intend to leave just as soon as you have arrived?" Elrond asked the question Lilly had wanted to.

"This is of great importance. Aragorn and I shall leave as soon as we can." Gandalf looked toward Lilly. "You shall stay here in the care of Lord Elrond until such a time that we can further our discussion." He glanced toward Elrond, "It would do us no good for harm to come the only person who knows our future."

Lilly sat stunned. Everything seemed to move a hundred times faster in Middle Earth and as she sat in her borrowed dress and looked at the magnificent view of Rivendell, all she truly wanted was home.

* * *

**And 'tis all for this day! This part of the story was a bitch to write but it's getting easier. R&R please :)**


	4. Rivendell the Beautiful

**Hello readers, hope you like this chapter. I'm trying to pick up the momentum of the story but it's hard because some of these parts in the books and movies are very drawn-out and long-winded. Most of this is following book timeline. **

* * *

**Rivendell the Beautiful**

During that first day Lilly spent in Rivendell it seemed as if the world was moving three times its normal speed. After her conversation with Elrond and Gandalf had ended with the latter deciding to leave as soon as he could, Lilly was certain this world was going to be filled with much more excitement than her own.

Gandalf and Aragorn departed from Rivendell the moment they had ample supplies for their journey to the Shire. It was after the two had said their farewells and left through the gates of Rivendell that Lilly met Arwen Evenstar for the first time.

It had been said that Arwen daughter of Elrond was the extraordinarily beautiful; Luthien come again. Lilly had not thought it was physically possible for a woman to be the living incarnation of perfection, but Arwen was proof of its possibility. Just looking at the elven lady was enough to ruin the small part of Lilly's self-esteem that was left.

Lilly was thankful that the daughter of Elrond was kind as she was beautiful. After the departure of Gandalf and Aragorn, she had been called upon by Arwen to take a walk around the gardens of Rivendell. It had been a nerve wracking experience; for all she knew, Lilly had been the cause of Arwen's fiancé having to almost as soon as he had arrived.

Arwen had not seemed bitter about that fact, however. To Lilly she merely seemed like someone who yearned for better company. The elves, though wise and fair, had a knack for being very boring conversationalists when one has to listen to them speak about the same topics for centuries. Or so Arwen said; Lilly thought the other elves were fine company.

The human girl from another world with knowledge of the future was of every interest to Arwen and Lilly soon found herself good friend with the elven lady. Every day Lilly spent at Rivendell was filled with horseback riding, archery, reading, feasting, and a hundred other things the elves found amusing.

Life in Rivendell was very different from her life back home; the food, the people, even the animals felt so foreign to her. She found herself missing her family and friends more often than she would care to admit.

Even with her days filled to the brim with activity, just after a month of being in Rivendell Lilly's days began feeling repetitive. Whenever the boredom would creep up on her, a feeling of overwhelming guilt followed; had Lord Elrond and his daughter not done everything they could to make her feel welcome in their home? Every lesson her mother had taught her about being thankful for what she was given would make her ashamed and make her desperately miss her parents.

The repetition of her schedule could not, however, take away from the beauty of Rivendell nor for the remarkable increase in her archery skills.

Arwen was apparently set on turning Lilly into an elfish lady, not that Lilly really minded seeing as there truly was very little else to do in Rivendell aside from eating, reading, or resting. Though it sometimes worried Lilly that Arwen may have seen her as more of a project than a person, Arwen's kindness would reassure her that that was not the case.

One thing that interested Arwen the most about Lilly was her confession about being lonely - having three older brothers, twenty or so first and second cousins, and more aunties and uncles than normal had never left much time for being alone. Elves did not have such large and overflowing families, so this very human practice entranced Arwen. It surprised Lilly when Arwen had so many questions about her abundant family. Missing her family, Lilly was only too happy to oblige.

Though her days were mostly filled from dusk to dawn, when she was not in Arwen's company, Lilly found herself in the company of the only other non-elf inhabitant in Rivendell - Bilbo Baggins.

She had first come across the elderly hobbit in the largest of Rivendell's gardens, sitting on a hobbit-sized bench looking as if he had always belonged there. Her overwhelming excitement was incredibly hard to keep down at the sight of the Hobbit who was undoubtedly her favourite book character.

He reminded her of her great uncles, slightly hunched over with age but filled to the brim with stories. Lilly enjoyed hearing the firsthand accounts of Bilbo's adventures almost as much as the old Hobbit enjoyed talking about them.

A great fan of all sorts of stories, Bilbo enjoyed hearing legends Lilly remembered her grandmother telling her. He had loved hearing about the turtle crawling out of the sea with the Earth on its back and had loved even more Lilly's stories about cannibalistic windigos – he had likened the creatures to orcs.

At night there was always some form of singing, dancing, and poetry recitations to entertain the elves and their guests. The loneliness that found Lilly was always worst at night when she was alone in her bed. The time from when she lay down in her bed to when she actually fell asleep left her missing home, her family, friends, showers, real toilets, fried food, the internet, sanitary pads, blue jeans, and a hundred other things. There was an ever-present hope when she went to sleep that she would wake up back in her dorm room.

It had not taken long for Lilly to realise she had arrived in Middle Earth much earlier than she had needed to if she was to be a part of the action. The Council of Elrond would take place in October while she had arrived in the few days of March.

This long space of time left her able to familiarise herself with the new world and to become used to the everyday life in Rivendell. Lilly would even swear that her Canadian accent was starting to sound like an English one. The constant activity and good food made Lilly feel healthier than she ever had before; she'd dropped some weight and deepened her tan.

Before she realised, the spring had turned to a summer that was quickly drawing to an end. As summer changed to fall Lilly grimly acknowledged the change that it would bring to her care-free time spent at Rivendell. On the eve after Arwen and Glorfindel's departure from Rivendell, Lilly had spoken with Elrond about the oncoming storm of war that would soon be upon them.

"The fate of Middle Earth shall soon come into question," Lilly's statement had surprised Elrond as she had not spoken of the future at Gandalf's behest. He had been in the library translating a decaying tome when the human girl had sought him out.

"I know I'm not supposed to talk about it…" Lilly had dropped her cryptic tone when Elrond had turned his full attention to her; something about the elf made her feel like a four year old little girl. "But being here makes it a little more…scary to think of." She sat on one of the chairs by the table Elrond was working at. "I feel as if I'm supposed to join into the bigger story, but I'd much rather remain here." Lilly felt like a child.

Elrond stood and smiled kindly at her, "Whether or not you shall be a part of any _action_, as you so call it, is yet to be seen." He inspected a shelf and selected a thin blue bound novel. "I believe when Gandalf returns he will have just as many opinions to express as before." He returned to his seat. "Do not burden yourself with such worries."

Lilly took Elrond's second smile as a sign to leave, so she excused herself to roam around the gardens. With Arwen gone, Lilly had very little to do besides walk about the gardens. Her boredom was coupled with guilt as she knew when Arwen returned from the forests surrounding Rivendell it would be with a near-death Frodo. Even Bilbo's adventure stories could not keep her mind from this fact.

It haunted her until those who would be a part of the Council of Elrond began arriving. Lilly had seethed with rage upon realising Elrond had not mention to her that he had already sent out invitations for the meeting. Even Rirosseth had had trouble soothing Lilly's frayed nerves.

Her frustration was stopped short upon the arrival of Gandalf, bloody and battle weary from his fight with the Nazgul. When his wounds had been tended to and Elrond had finished speaking with him, Lilly had to restrain herself from asking him a thousand questions and instead asked him just one, "When it is decided the Ring shall be borne away, and I know that you know it shall come to this, am I expected to take part in that venture?"

Sitting at the head of a table, Gandalf paused in his eating and looked at Lilly. "You are right in the fact that nothing has been decided. However," He gave her a pointed look. "We are all expected to do things we would rather not do." Lilly took that answer as a drawn out _yes._

In the days before Arwen returned with Frodo, Lilly spent most of her time in her room avoiding Elrond and most of the other elves. Her solitary state was brought on by the thought of the journey she would soon have to prepare for. Even upon Arwen's arrival back to Rivendell with Frodo, she set herself apart, worrying over what the future would bring.

Lilly had spent the time in her room sitting on a chair staring at the white walls all but panicking at what was to come next. She had even begun to worry Rirosseth; the lady's maid had never seen such action in an elf before and was unsure of how to deal with the human woman. It ended up being Arwen who had all but dragged Lilly from her room to walk around her favourite garden.

The autumn flowers were in full bloom despite the chill in the air and recent lack of strong sunlight. Arwen and Lilly walked arm and arm through the garden admiring flowers and statues that dotted about the green foliage. The trees were denser in that garden than any of the others and reminded Lilly of her home.

"I cannot pretend to know the gravity of the task you must face," Arwen said passively admiring a grouping of white roses. "But you will not be alone in facing it, I can assure of that _mellon nin."_ Lilly smiled at her friend and threw her arms around her in a hug. Arwen laughed and returned the embrace, "It is good to see you smile again."

"I guess I can't start being so sad yet, the adventure hasn't even begun."

Arwen laughed and gestured to the barely visible scratch on her cheek, "Has not begun? Look at this, the true mark of an adventurer!"

Lilly scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Oh, yes my lady. My apologies, you'll have more battle scars than your husband-to-be if you keep on like this." The mention of Aragorn caused Arwen's face to flush and Lilly giggled like a little girl.

Lilly turned toward Arwen and clasped her hands excitedly. "Speaking of Aragorn, have you spoken with him for longer than five minutes yet? Has he fallen to his knees to beg forgiveness for leaving so abruptly last time and not returning for months?" Arwen laughed, a sound like the tinkling of bells. Lilly giggled and continued, "If he's any man worth having, he'll come and apologise on his own. That's what my mother used to tell me."

Arwen laughed as she shook her head. "You say the oddest of things, _mellon nin._ Sometimes I cannot recall how I ever got on without your strange sense of humour." Lilly shrugged wholeheartedly and the two continued their stroll, laughing and teasing as they had not done in days.

When Lilly saw the image of someone tall, dark, and altogether displeased with her, she nudged Arwen. "I think you had better get ready to receive that apology, my friend." She jutted her chin in Aragorn's direction.

Arwen wrinkled her nose in distaste. "I truly wish you would stop pointing out things like that." Lilly rolled her eyes.

"Oh, never mind me! Go spend some time with the man who loves you and dislikes me" Lilly nearly pushed her to head in the direction Aragorn was standing.

As Arwen started to walk, she turned to look Lilly. "It is not that he dislikes you, he merely mistrusts your role in this venture…" Lilly shrugged and waved her off.

"Go have some fun, I'll be in the library. Reading books, the only true love in my life." As Lilly turned away she could hear Arwen still laughing.

The library at Rivendell was a book lovers dream filled to the brim with hand written books bound in the finest material. The only fault Lilly could find in it was that it was built for Elves that were significantly taller than she. This had never been a problem before seeing as the library was usually filled with scholarly (and tall) Elves always willing to hand her a book out of her reach.

On that particular day, this was not the case. Lilly thought it had something to do with the impending council meeting that had sent the Elves of Rivendell into full host mode, never taking a moment's rest until all the guests were sleeping.

As she strained to reach for a red bound book of poems that detailed the first encounter between Beren and Luthien, Lilly pondered whether climbing the shelf or pulling of the heavy chairs over to stand upon would be less embarrassing if she was discovered. Her blue sleeves fluttered in the wind, brushing against her face as her fingers _nearly _grazed the spine of the book.

Standing on the tips of her toes she made one last attempt to reach the book and nearly jumped out of her skin when an arm came from behind her to grab the book she was straining for.

* * *

**Trying out a minor cliffhanger though I really intended for the identity of the person to be overly obvious.**


	5. Making Friends

**Well, this took much longer than it needed to. After being sick for a week, then travelling around every weekend, I finally found the time to finish this chapter and I'm pretty happy with it. The next one will be up in about a week as I have two CPTs that are due on the same day to finish. Hope you enjoy this chapter and feel free to review.**

* * *

Lilly stifled a screech upon realizing someone was behind her and spun around intent on cursing out the person who had snuck up on her. The person it turned out to be a tall dark haired man with wide-set shoulders.

The man had reached a hand to steady the off-balanced Lilly, but had thought better of it so it hung in the awkward air between the two. His other hand clutched the red bound book that he stared sheepishly at.

"I am sorry, my lady," He started quickly. "I had thought you had heard me enter. I did not mean to frighten you." His sincerity was not lost on Lilly whose anger was beginning to fade. Having three older brothers had stopped her from being able to stay upset over petty things. _He could have at least bumped into a chair or something. _

"I hope I have not offended you."Aware of Lilly's ire, the man offered her the book which she begrudgingly accepted. "My name is Boromir, son of Denethor." Lilly nodded in response; it had become easier in the past months to hide her surprise at meeting book characters.

"I have heard of you before Boromir son of Denethor. My name is Lilly, daughter of…" Lilly paused for a moment. "Well, no one you would know, really." Lilly winced inwardly and mentally berated herself. _Of all of the stupid, cliché things to say it just had to be that. _

Boromir looked uncertainly at Lilly and moved to inspect the shelf of books behind her. "Lord Elrond has quite the collection." With the ghost of a smile on his lips he turned to Lilly. "This library is much more organised than the one in Minas Tirith, I am afraid."

Lilly smiled, "Are you looking for something in particular?" Though the library was large, it was not the only one in Rivendell.

A slightly embarrassed look crossed Boromir's face, "Ah, not exactly. I was in truth looking for the gardens and I seemed to have taken a wrong turn somewhere."

Lilly tried to hold in a small laugh, "Getting lost in Rivendell is much easier than it seems. The architecture is beautiful truly. However, it can start to look the same when you aren't used to it."

Boromir smiled in agreement. "Would you like me to bring you to the gardens?" Lilly offered longing for the chance to speak to someone for the first time in months who was not an ethereally perfect elf.

"I wouldn't want to inconvenience you-"

"Preventing me from reading a large book with tiny writing isn't an inconvenience. It's more of a blessing really." Lilly turned and placed the book on a lower shelf. The elves would not be pleased to see her purposely put a book back in the wrong place, but she figured she could come back for it before anyone could notice.

"Come along then." Lilly brushed past him to walk through the sun filled halls of Rivendell. She led him through the labyrinth of columns, statues, and rooms that ended in one of the larger gardens that was filled with autumn blooms.

Boromir's face lit as he took in the beauty of the garden. He turned to Lilly, "Would you allow me to keep you from reading a while longer?"

Lilly smiled and accepted the arm Boromir offered to escort her around the garden. _Today has gone from boring to oddly pleasant. _She lightly gripped his arm as she had done with Arwen and Rirosseth in the past. _Though I really could do without all the touching._

"Have you been in Rivendell long, my lady?" Boromir's inquiry broke the awkward tension that had begun to form as they walked together.

"Nearly a year now." The two rounded a corner that led to a grouping of elfish statues that Lilly knew to be old but were well-maintained and surrounding by pale pink winter roses.

"Forgive me for being so forward my lady, but where are you from? With your hair I had thought it could be Gondor, but your accent…it's strange." _God damn the Canadian accent, _Lilly thought as she struggled to find a response that would not confuse the medieval man.

"Ah, far away for certain. I can't really say…" She squinted in the bright sun as she tried to think of a lie that would be most believable. "It's supposed to be a secret, actually. Diplomatic reasons and all."

Boromir nodded, "You must be considered important where you are from then to be sent as a diplomat."

Lilly shrugged, "Or expendable, depending on the expected outcome." Boromir paused for a moment before understanding her joke. "The council meeting, for the most part, is why I am here now." She added, slightly embarrassed at her feeble attempt at humour.

A look of confusion passed Boromir's face. "I had thought the Council was to be of the utmost secrecy." Lilly nodded slowly realising her mistake. _Elrond is going to string me up by my toes if he finds out I just openly talked about his super-secret tea party._

"Well yes, however, _I _know of it and _you_ know of it so it is truly no harm done." Lilly wanted to hit herself because of her own stupidity. _I thought staying with the Elves had cured me of my foot-in-mouth disease._ "Really no reason to mention it at all to anyone or Lord Elrond."

It took a few seconds of silence, before she realised Boromir was laughing quietly at her. "Of course my lady, I swear I shall never speak of it. But please tell me, do you always speak so rashly?"

Lilly felt her temper flare, but knew he did not mean his laughter to have cruel intent. She sighed deeply, "I'm afraid so; it's a habit my mother nor even the Elves of Rivendell could cure."

Boromir laughed and Lilly felt at ease. Behind the stoic face of the Captain of Gondor and heir to the steward was a funny but no less serious man. Lilly found him much easier to talk to than most of the Elves, whose obvious perfection could be quite distracting in every day conversation.

He told Lilly of the White City, but kept away from hevy topics and stayed mostly with his memories of his childhood with his brother. Lilly in turn told him of her upbringing; he had been surprised to hear that she had spent just as much time hunting as her brothers.

"Of course," she added onto her previous story of her middle brother catching his own hat while fishing. "I stopped spending so much time out of doors a few years ago." She felt saddened at the memory. "I had to start focussing on my studies." _Of course all that effort seems to be thrown out of the window now. _

"The land you come from sounds very strange, welcoming, but still very different." Lilly felt the pangs of homesickness she had not felt in a while as she reminisced about her family. She changed the subject to stop her endless thoughts of her family.

"Do you read very much, Lord Boromir?" He looked slightly embarrassed at the question. "Not as much as I would like, I'm afraid." The two neared the far side of the garden where the largest of Rivendell's libraries stood. Lilly knew it to be where the shards of Narsil were kept and felt wary of an incident with Aragorn happening.

"Swordplay and battle strategy always seemed more important to me as child," Boromir continued unaware of the nervousness that had begun spread through Lilly. "The threat of Mordor was always close at hand and I have found the arts to be beautiful, it is much easier to kill an orc with a sword than a poem."

Lilly felt some of her nerves dissipate as she laughed, "Well, that really depends on the quality of the poem." The two laughed heartily as they approached the library where the grandiose silenced them; the solemnness of this place always made Lilly feel like a child wandering through a mausoleum.

Unlike most of the buildings in Rivendell parts of the library were fully walled in. This was the largest of the libraries that neighboured Lord Elrond's own courters and Lilly knew to hold the oldest tomes and artifacts in probably all of Middle Earth, let alone all of the rest of Rivendell.

Among the ancient treasures, artifacts, and pricelessly old books laid the Shards of Narsil on a dark velvet sheet. The fresco that stood proudly in front of it looked as if it had been painted newly the day before though Lilly knew it had been done over a thousand years ago.

The famous sword shards had drawn Lilly in like a moth to a flame the first time she had entered. Narsil looked fresh-forged and like it had just come out of the fire the day before. It was a remarkable piece; Lilly did not think there was a sword back home that was that old and that well preserved.

In the dimming light, Lilly entered the library with Boromir who, like her, was drawn to the fresco. Arm and arm with Lilly still he examined the oversized depiction of the famous scene. His focus on it was interrupted by the presence of Aragorn who had looked up from his book as they entered.

"You are no Elf." Boromir declared upon seeing him. "I had not thought I was would see so many men when I arrived here."

"Men of the South are welcome here." Aragorn said in reply as he observed the two. Lilly felt his judgmental stare hit her. _If it wasn't for Arwen, I would have gone off this guy so long ago. _Her tolerance for him boiled like a pot over fire.

"We all have things we must do that may only come to pass with the help of Elves." Lilly fixed Aragorn with a glare of her own. _Stop reading your book and go to talk to your fiancée, you big honour-bound jerk. _

Feeling the tension in the room rise Boromir politely removed Lilly's arm from his to examine the Shards of Narsil. "The Shards of Narsil…the blade that cut the thing from Sauron's own hand."

Just as he reached for the separated hilt Lilly made a squeak of discontent that caused him to pull his hand back. "Not to be rude, but that sword is over two thousand years old and means more to Elrond than my own life." Boromir looked at Lilly in understanding that turned into annoyance.

He looked toward the sword and declared that, "It is no more than a broken end." He stormed from the room and Lilly could feel the anger toward the Line of Kings roll of him as he brushed by her in leaving.

_How I it possible that I am so terrible at making friends? _Lilly thought as she rubbed her temples. Aragorn rose and joined her by the dais. Clasping her on the shoulder he told her in a soft voice, "It is not in your role to interfere, but to observe. Do not concern yourself with the spoiled Children of Men, Lilly." He patted her on the shoulder once more then left the library leaving Lilly to stew in her thoughts.

The following morning Lilly awoke earlier than was normal for her and prepared for the day by herself. She _technically_ had not been invited to take part in the council, however Gandalf had made it clear to her that whatever important events happened she was supposed to take part in them.

After washing with the stale water from her basin that had sat there through the night, she had dressed herself and skipped eating to go speak with Gandalf. _Breaking in on a secret meeting sounds like a great time, _Lilly thought as she hurried toward Gandalf's spacious rooms. _However arriving with someone else will make it a little less nerve-wracking._

Gandalf's rooms were similar to others in Rivendell in that they were open air, however they were more spacious but simpler than Lilly's own. Lilly found the old wizard sitting on a chair puffing away at his pipe.

"Ah, good morning, Lilly!" The old man greeted around his pipe startling Lilly; he had not even turned his head in the slightest toward her. "Come along, then. Sit down." He waved his pipe toward the chair on the opposite side of the small table at which he was sitting.

"Good morning to you as well Gandalf." Lilly sat the table that had a few small plates of fruit, cheese, and bread. She could not help the loud growl that came from her stomach. Gandalf looked at her pointedly and gestured for her to have something.

As Lilly nibbled on a small bun she thought of how to phrase her proposition. "I know there is to be a council meeting today…" Gandalf nodded as he puffed thoughtfully on his pipe, making small grey rings. "However, Lord Elrond has neither invited nor even mentioned it to me and I know you said I was to take part in all important events," Lilly shifted as she knew she had begun to ramble. "So I was hoping that perhaps…"

"I could help you attend?" The old man chuckled. "I had believed that to be the plan all along." Lilly felt a weight lift off of her shoulders. "My dear girl, Lord Elrond believes that your fore knowledge of events should be used to prevent any sort of tragedy from happening. I, myself, believe that any events to be changed should be selected by you at your own caution." He took a long puff from his pipe. "We are in a very delicate situation, I am afraid, and Lord Elrond believes that keeping you out of it would be the safest course."

Lilly brushed bread crumbs nervously off of her dress. "And what do you believe, Gandalf?" He _hmmed_ and tapped his pipe out in a small, white glass bowl. "I believe that you were brought to us by the Valar for a reason and I shall not let that reason go to waste because of one stubborn Elf." Gandalf smiled warmly at her and Lilly could not help but smile back.

After finishing off their breakfast together, Gandalf rose and offered her arm toward Lilly. "I believe it is just about time for us to join the Council of Elrond."


	6. Squabbling Children

**Hey there…this chapter was actually finished over a week ago, however I have been without internet for just as long. I'm so sorry I couldn't have updated sooner but the next few chapters have already been written and just need a bit more editing before getting posted.**

***Disclaimer* I do not own nor am I affiliated with anything pertaining to Lord of the Rings or its extended universe. Also the line comparing the Ring to a sword is taken from A Storm of Swords by George R.R Martin and I do not own that either.**

* * *

Lilly was unable to ignore the annoyance that crossed Elrond's face upon seeing her sitting with Gandalf in the council circle. He had no chance, however, to voice his displeasure as the other council members began to arrive.

_Why the hell am I even here? _ She looked around at the characters of legend and great renown sitting around her and felt like quite the party crasher. _I am surrounded by dusty old men who have studied politics and warfare since childhood. _Lilly sat uncomfortably in her chair and concentrated on not fidgeting.

As Lord Elrond welcomed friends and foreign dignitaries alike, Lilly remained sitting rigidly in her chair. She was fully aware that shifting in her would make her look childish and draw more attention to the fact that she was the only female present.

Whatever attention was being divided between her and Lord Elrond was fully turned toward Frodo as he was prompted to bring forth the Ring. Lilly saw that the golden band was as thin and simple as it had been in the movies, the only difference being that one cannot feel its evil through a screen. Looking upon the Ring Lilly felt as if someone had dropped a worm down the back of her shirt.

_Home…it could bring you home. _The thought that repeated in her mind was not Lilly's own, but she felt herself yearning to agree with it. _I could go back to school…I've missed my apartment so much…and my family… _The temptation was accompanied by guilt and she shuddered at the feeling of the Ring's power burrowing in her mind like a snake.

Lilly recalled enough of this scene to know every other person was experiencing similar invasive thoughts to her own. _And Boromir will fall prey to them._

Murmurs of disbelief echoed around the circle and Lilly was certain her own face held the same uncomfortable look as everyone else there. Lilly felt a cold shiver touch her spine and her heart rise in her chest. The sensation reminded her of her fall all those months ago and gave her an uneasy anxiety about what was about to happen.

Boromir rose slowly, "In a dream…" His eyes moved about the council, but lingered on the Ring as he continued. "I saw the Eastern sky grow dark. In the West a pale light lingered. A voice was crying, _your doom is near at hand."_ A cold hand gripped Lilly's heart. "Isildur's bane is found," Boromir stretched his hand out toward the Ring. "Isildur's Bane…"

"_Boromir!" _Elrond cried, effectively breaking whatever enchantment that had taken hold of him. Boromir backed away into his chair as Gandalf rose and said in a booming voice that shook the very ground,

"_Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul! _

_Ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul!"_

The words thundered in Lilly's ears and echoed in her head. _Old magic, powerful and dark._ Her mind spun and she gasped, black dots dancing in her vision. Dizzy and disorientated she rubbed her eyes while trying to refocus on the debate at hand.

"The Ring is altogether evil," Gandalf spat as he sat back down. Lilly knew what was to happen in rebuttal and turned toward Boromir who was shaking his head at the old wizard. "It is a gift ...a gift to the foes of Mordor!"

Lilly felt a flush of anger as Boromir continued his madness induced speech. "Why not use this Ring?"

"Use the Ring?" Lilly felt a building of courage she had never experienced before and stood. "It is a sword without a hilt. There is no safe way to grasp it." Shaking her head she continued before anyone could interrupt her.

"Isildur himself could not wield it and you believe that you can? This is no mere trinket, this is a Ring of Power as evil and corrupted as the one who forged it! It answers to Sauron and Sauron alone. Do you not think he would raze Minas Tirith to theground before he let any man of Gondor wield it against him?" _Just who in the hell do you think you are? _Lilly thought to herself in anger. She had never before experienced such a burning desire for the right thing to be done.

Boromir glared at her, angered and offended at her words. "And what would a woman know of Sauron's Ring?" Had there not been a table between them, Lilly would have broken his nose. An awkward paused fell on the council and Gandalf _harrumphed _and began to speak, his words preventing Lilly from doing anything she might later regret.

"_That woman,"_ Gandalf mocked Boromir's tone of voice, "knows better than you it seems, Boromir son of Denethor." Boromir did not look pleased at the slight. "And she is an oracle, one who knows more than any other what fate the Ring would bring."

Baffled looks went to Lilly who had sat down as Gandalf had begun speaking. Boromir looked suspiciously toward her and retook his chair leaving Elrond to continue the Council debate.

The title of oracle seemed as ridiculous to Lilly at that moment as it had when Gandalf first mentioned it that morning. _Oracles speak in prophecies and riddles. _She had felt a wide range of emotions from worried to annoyed. _Half the time I can't even solve a riddle let alone make one up. _When she had sheepishly mentioned these concerns to Gandalf he simply laughed and puffed on his pipe leaving her without a response.

The courage she had felt when debating against Boromir waned as she sat. _Where the hell did that even come from? _Having an outburst was not something she normally did, Lilly being the kind of person who often let her anger simmer off to benign grudge.

_But by god these men are testing my patience! _The scene reminded her of when her extended family would get together, everyone talking over everyone else.

Lilly felt her anger rise again as the debate turned into a petty argument of what race was best fit to take the ring to Mordor. Even still, she heard Boromir argue against destroying the Ring while the Elves and Dwarves insulted each other.

Frodo sat beside her timid as a mouse with eyes fixed on the Ring. She was well aware of the flames he was seeing as the Ring manipulated them all.

_Enough_, a voice whispered to her. "_Enough," _She whispered it at first, standing up mechanically unsure of what force was her movements. She stood and cried, "_ENOUGH!"_ The shouted command had been loud enough to wake the sleeping dead and was unnatural coming from the mouth of the short woman.

"The most important task of this age is set before you all, one that would decide the fate of all of Middle Earth, and yet you stand here squabbling like little boys over a new toy!" The accusation in her voice set shame to the faces of the men there and they begrudgingly returned to their seats. "Destroy the Ring. That is the task at hand, of this there is no debate." She looked harshly toward Boromir.

Shaking her head she continued. "The fate of the entirety of Middle Earth is being called into question, this task cannot be set to just one race." _Please, please stand up Frodo. _In answer to her thoughts she saw the little Hobbit rise from his chair. "I will take it." Gathering his courage he repeated, "I will take the Ring in Mordor"

A look of sorrow crossed Gandalf's face as Frodo concluded. "Though I do not know the way." One by one the rest of the Fellowship to be rose from their chairs to accept the task at hand. Lilly sighed in relief and thanked every god she knew of that she had not ruined the moment in which the destiny of Middle Earth was decided.

Elrond looked over the group of nine, "So be it! You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring!" Lilly sighed in relief, _I don't think Gandalf is going to make me go._

The night of the council meeting Lilly had been opted out of any elfish festivities and had chosen instead to eat dinner in her room by herself. The title of oracle did not sit easily on her conscience and though she did not want to admit it, Boromir's comment on her gender combined with those of other council members had struck a chord in her heart.

_Girls shouldn't go so far away to school. _Her mother had repeated again and again when Lilly had revealed her choice of university. _Girls shouldn't go far…well damn, mom, I'm about as far away as you can get._ She rested her head in her hand and used the other to pick at the salad Rirosseth had brought her nearly an hour before.

The elven maid had gone to the Hall of Fire with all the others to play host to the horde of visitors leaving Lilly to stew in her own thoughts. There were things from the meeting that were still were not sitting well in her mind. _That voice...whose thoughts were those? _Lilly groaned and dropped her head onto the table. _I have gone absolutely insane._

She stayed like that for a few long moments, breathing in the cool night air. Half-asleep she did not notice Gandalf as he entered her cautiously entered her chambers. The old wizard had seen her with her face pressed to the table and tried not to startle her as he approached.

"_Lilly._" He had tried to say her name gently but had only succeeded in surprising her. The sudden shock caused her to smack her head into the table. "_Jesus Christ!"_ Lilly rubbed her reddening forehead. "_Ahh_…Did you do that on purpose?" _I was having a pretty good day too._

"I did not mean to startle you, my dear." Gandalf looked sincere in his apology and Lilly waved him to sit down as she rubbed her head still. "Well, what's up? I assume you have something incredibly important to say if it couldn't wait until tomorrow."

The old man looked slightly offended as he straightened his robes. "You recall that Lord Elrond and myself in agreement that you should be a part of any events surrounding the One Ring?" Lilly raised her eyebrow at him, "I can recall it being a subject of argument between you two."

Gandalf nodded his head, "Yes, yes. It is all quite the same." _Oh no…_Lilly knew what was going to be requested of her. "Whatever it may be that you were sent here to change, it cannot be done if you remain here in Rivendell."

Lilly shook her head, "I _can't…_" She rubbed eyes, not wanting to admit that joining the Fellowship was what felt right in her heart. She took a deep breath, "But I have to, don't I?" Gandalf smiled faintly at her realisation.

_Of all the reckless decisions in the world…_Finally feeling right again she began thinking of joining the great feast that was taking place in the Hall of Fire. Gandalf rose and stole a fig from her plate. "The other council members, Boromir in particular, are much more agreeable away from the influence of the Ring." Understanding the invitation Lilly stood up to follow him to the feast.


	7. Archery Practice

**So I have decided to keep the book timeline with movie action (more or less) because the movies make it seem as if the action happens over a course of weeks rather than months and that leaves so little for the imagination. **

***Disclaimer* I do not own nor am I affiliated with anything pertaining to Lord of the Rings or its extended universe.**

* * *

The feast was nearly halfway through when Lilly arrived with Gandalf though none paid them much mind as music played and elves brought platters of food to and from the already heavily laden tables. Despite the reason for which they had assembled in Rivendell, the Dwarves and Men alike seemed averse to mingling too heavily with each other and their Elven hosts.

Arwen sat by her father's side at the high table but upon noticing Lilly motioned for her to join her at a lower table. Thankful she was not expected to sit at the table of Men, Lilly sat with Arwen and other Elves she considered to be friends.

The night was through enough that the Dwarves and Men both were well into their cups and were becoming rowdy, so Lilly's choice of seat was not questioned. Despite the Elves constant drinking of wine, the rowdiest she had ever seen drunk elves was when two singers contested against each other in who could recite the longest verse of poetry.

Lilly filled a small plate of food and took cup of wine and listened in to the conversations around her. Talk was kept away from the Council meeting and the Ring and was focussed on merrier subjects and teasing between friends. The presence of guests made the Elves stick to speaking the common tongue for which Lilly was thankful for since her Sindarin was barely at the level of a toddler.

"That man of Gondor has been keeping his gaze toward you." Óldes, a friend of Arwen's, said to Lilly keeping her voice low.

"Does he?" Lilly took a sip of her wine and tried not to wince at the strength of it. Lilly's gaze flitted across the room and she saw Boromir's eyes glance her way then quickly turn aside. Arwen laughed beside her. "I know well the look on your face, has he offered you some insult in the short time since he arrived?"

Lilly feigned a glare at her friend, "An insult toward my gender and one not easily forgotten." A round of laughter went about the table. "A foolhardy mistake! He should be glad my Lady of the Flower did not take his life!" A singer, Faerveren, joked well aware as many others in Rivendell of Lilly's short temper.

"_Flower?" _Lilly balked at the title. "Aye!" The singer continued, his cheeks flushed from drink. "Fair as the flower she was named for as my lady Arwen is fair as the stars!" He rose from his chair and began to sing a passage from the _Lay of Leithian _describing the beauty of Luthien.

"I think he has had far too much to drink." Lilly whispered to Arwen who giggled in return. He sang only three verses and received a hardy applause from the drunken crowd. A few moments after his end the Hobbits took up a drinking song and attention was focused toward them.

After nearly an hour of drinking songs being sang back and forth between races, Lilly grew tired. Arwen had joined Aragorn's side leaving Lilly with the other Elves; she had found before that making conversation with them was not as easy as it was when Arwen was there. Excusing herself during a particularly loud Dwarfish drinking song she made her out of the crowded Hall.

Away from the raucous Hall Rivendell was peaceful in the starlight. Breathing in the cool night air Lilly tried not to stumble as she made her way down the stone steps outside. _Stairs and drunk people in dresses are not a good mix. _Debating on whether or not she should abandon all dignity and crawl down the stairs, Lilly uneasily took one step at a time and slowly made her way to the bottom.

"_My lady!"_ The shout nearly sent Lilly tumbling down the last few steps. Whirling around she yelled, "Are you trying to kill me?" Boromir hurried down the steps, concern marring his face. "Apologies, again, my lady for startling you. I merely meant to-""To send me tumbling to my death, apparently."

Lilly picked up her skirts and turned away from him, descending the last few steps in a rush. "Please, my lady, I only wish to apologise for my words." He followed her down the steps and past the Hall. Lilly turned toward him and she could see he was sincere even in his drunkenness. "What words? When you nearly scared me to death _twice? _Or perhaps when you insulted my entire gender?"

Boromir winced, "I never meant to say that, truly I swear. I was not myself." "The Ring has strong influence over you, Boromir son of Denethor." Lilly was trying very hard to seem stern in her slightly drunken state. "However, it takes from thoughts you already have. I will not accept the apology of someone who thinks that I am weak because of my gender." Turning on him again, Lilly made the way back to her chambers.

The morning dawned bright and far too early for Lilly who was suffering from headache both from the drinking and from Arwen who had roused her from her room at dawn to practice archery. The twang of the bowstring did little to ease her headache and it was not until mid-afternoon that Arwen finally relented.

"You still keep your arm too low." Arwen commented offhandedly as they took a break by the archery field. A platter of fruit had been brought out for them and Lilly glared at her friend while chewing on a pear. "Maybe you just keep your standards too high." Arwen raised a brow and laughed.

The day had remained bright and warm despite the changing seasons and while Lilly was sweaty and overheated her Elven counterpart was unaffected by the weather. Jealous of her friend's immunity to the heat, Lilly stretched out in her chair and blew out a breath.

Arwen loosened her bracer and glanced at her friend. "What did you say to that man Boromir yesterday? I saw him leave after you and when he returned it look as if you had cursed him forever."

Lilly rolled her eyes, "I may have been a _bit_ harsh him, but it wasn't anything he didn't deserve!" Arwen laughed. "I pity any who wrong you, _mellon nin¸_ for I have never met any with a wrath as terrible as yours." The two finished their meal and separated, Lilly choosing to continue her archery practice and Arwen leaving to speak with Aragorn.

_Arm too high she says,_ Lilly knocked and drew an arrow. _Concentrate less, aim faster, keep your stomach in… _She sighed as hit the target high and to the left of the centre. _Dammit. _Arms sore from her earlier practice she repeated the motions of drawing and loosing as Arwen had drilled her own.

"You shoot well, my lady." Lilly glowered at the voice. "You mean well for a woman?" She had not turned to look toward him, but she could very nearly feel the regret coming off of Boromir as he approached her.

Ignoring his presence, Lilly drew the arrow she had nocked before he had spoken to her and let it go with a sharp _twang. _It hit closer to the centre than any of her previous ones that day but was still off the centre.

"I only meant to say that you have much more skill than I." Lilly turned and looked at him unbelievingly, "Are you trying to tell me that Gondor's finest captain has trouble using a bow?" Boromir looked down and tried to hide his smile.

"When we were younger I had my brother swear to never tell our father I was hopeless as an archer. He never found out and I spent my time training with the sword." Lilly couldn't help letting out a laugh. "I am glad you find that funny because it remains the only thing my brother has held against me." His smile broadened as Lilly laughed.

"Are you telling me an embarrassing childhood story in hopes that I'll forgive you?" He look guiltily at her and his face became thoughtful, "I truly did not mean those words. Where I am from…" He struggled for words. "Where I am from I am known as a man of honour. Any insult I have made to your honour is an insult to my own. I beg you to forgive me for saying rash words that I did not mean."

The pleading sincerity in his eyes made Lilly feel as if she had kicked a dog and she knew her stubbornness had been defeated. "I suppose I have to forgive you." Boromir's face lightened and he bowed and said a small thank you to her.

"Let's see then." Lilly took on a less serious tone and gestured to some of the spare bows that had been brought out on the field by her and Arwen that morning. Confusion crossed his face. "You wish for me to embarrass myself, my lady?" Lilly smiled playfully, "Think of it as making up for any wrongs between us."

Seeing her challenge Boromir looked over the bows and chose one of the larger ones. Annoyance prickled in the back of Lilly's mind as she backed away from the shooting line to give him space as she recognised the bow as one so tense she didn't have the strength to draw.

Boromir nocked and drew an arrow awkwardly, aiming for too long he finally released the arrow and it sailed past the target. Lilly clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. "I have not used a bow in years, I remind you." Boromir feigned sternness as Lilly tried to control her laughter. "That was _pitiful." _She exclaimed between laughs.

Wiping tears from her eyes, she told him to draw again. "This time hold it." She instructed as she step toward him to inspect his stance. "For starters take a step back, stand straighter and raise your elbow slightly." His second attempt at shooting fared better and had him hitting the outer rings of the target.

"I sincerely hope that your sword work was worth it." Lilly teased after they had finished on the archery field and were putting back their equipment. Lilly felt sweaty and hot as she replacing arrows in her quiver. She wanted nothing than a bath and a long nap.

Boromir chuckled, "I like to think to so." When the pair had put away the last of their things, Boromir offered to escort Lilly to her chambers. "Only if you don't get lost along the way." Had been her reply to which they both shared a laugh.

"Who taught you archery?" Boromir asked she took his arm. Lilly felt embarrassed as she knew she probably smelled and was dripping in sweat from spending so long outside. "My grandfather and my brothers." He smiled faintly but Lilly could see something lingering in his eyes.

"Gandalf named you an oracle." Boromir stated after they had gone a little further. _I knew I wasn't going to be able to keep away from that one for too long. _Lilly thought carefully about how to respond to his statement. _It probably wouldn't be good to tell him his entire existence is just story. _

"It is true that I know parts of the future," Lilly tried to be convincing in her partial lie. "What I can do is not like the foresight of the Elves, I simply know a sequence of events that need to happen. I cannot look into someone's future or anything like that."

"So you know the fate of the Ring?" Boromir tried to understand what she had said. Lilly nodded. "And the fate of Gondor?" Lilly nodded slowly again, wary of the look in his eyes. Boromir stopped and grabbed her shoulders, "Gondor's fate please…I must know what is to become of my people." Lilly could see it was not desperation for the Ring that was driving him, but his desperation for the welfare of his nation.

"It is not for you to know, Boromir." She touched the hand on her shoulder gently and felt his sadness. She had this feeling before back in her home, at every school and cultural centre, in the face of so many people she had known as they struggled to keep their culture and language afloat. He dropped his hands and looked down, embarrassed. "I'm sorry…I should not have-"

"Gondor will survive only if the Ring does not." Lilly stepped back from him. _That's the only thing you need to know. _She paused and thought about saying more, but instead turned away from him and left for her chambers. Boromir stood by himself for a moment, conflicted over what he needed to do for the sake of his people, before leaving for his own chambers.


End file.
